The Dickinson press. (Dickinson, Stark County, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1883-1927, 1887-05-07
A PIONEER GHOST.

1t had for years been favorite idea with
Roswell ;ltolla, rs his l,oyilood name wasl to
restore an carly II pioncer-Sugar camp. y
considerable lit of the primitive wood had
been preserved, quite enough to hide the boil
ing wor:as. Tl.n kettles We're hung by beech
trunlmels on n lug pole-:herc We're the store.
trough, tie sap yoke and buckets, the small,
rather too neat cabin. Right about head
quarters were the az made sap troughs-alla as
in the primitive times
The day-thc last Of two or three successive
sun bright days, Indicating the wanc of tho
sugar season, and the kindling of tho year
had hecn all that Il single day could well be-
1t WIS past, tho girls were gone, and night
was n!a.ing its approach seen aul felt in the
ancient wood, helping the cherished illusions
the years turned back, the grand forest
restored, tho silent group in the deepening
twilight were boys again, ill the depth of tho
woods. The girls We're gone 1t had been n
great day for them, old girls, yet for the day,
girls. They have rambled, 4. little heavy
footed and slow, through the woods, where
the earlier flowers OF the spring fegan to
show themse.ves-tho livcrworts, blood roots,
the spray like ground nuts, and many bu1aed
spring beauty. In tho favored place few
real leelss stabbed up. There had been
butterfly seen Topping among the trees
lighting on the sap spouts, and many honey
bees, robins and blue birds were there, chick
adees, blue jays and the nut hatch--winter
residents these last; all these had been noted
talked over and the girls were gone Ann.
her younger sister Helen, and one of the Dams
Went with them. So Elizabeth and Minerva
won't with Elvira for the night Elderly
girls-all called such for the time
Tho boys, Roosevelt, Monroe, another Dan,
Capt. John, of the hundred lay company,
William and TEeo-these last came down from
Michigan; stood rather pensively about the
rudc furnace and boiling copper kettles con-
versing in subducd voices, in the perccptib!c
twilight, under the primitive trees Tho fire
wns growing conspicuous, and its sparks
visible. Acolony of frogs from the swale be-
low were making themselves heard, among
which wero the piercing notes of few hy.
lodes, which usually precetle the croakers
"We shan't make any more good sugar." said
Monroc, i'll his chest tones.
''These are the first of them," said Dan,
"They will bc frozen up three times. No;
good sugar after the second is the old rule,
Then followed some discussion of the rea-
tions of fr>."s to the conditions favorable to
sugar makip.s. Tho conclusion was that they
only indicated i!e advance of the season
There wns an OLD time incident of the
neighborhood, which, though now forgotten,
occurred since the johnson boys went to
Michigan, and which r. had promised to tell
them Of after the girls left, and they now
claimed performance.
"You know can't tell story, and this is
not story and has no come out of any sort"
was his hesitating preliminary. He was 10
great talker at the best "rhat is the rule
now," said Dan, who remained. "a man be-
gins anywhere in the current of everyday
life, takes commonplace person or two and
sticks to them for u year or 30, tells usually
what they don't do and the reason or no rea-
son why, and drops them. As yours is ali
about q ghost"-
"a ghost that is not ghost" put in tie
proposed narrator.
"Who haunted an old barn, thirty by
forty'-
"Or didn't" interjected Monroe
Cor didn't" accepted Dan, "it will run i'll
the line of tho present school exactly"
There was n pause of mene,:t, when
Roswell, his back to the fire, threw bis head
up suddenly sideways-a way of hs--and
began:
"It was about this time Of year, and Just
such spell of weather as ths-Anscomb had
acted little queerly all wintcr-lunger 1t
came on so slowly, with such steady down
grade, that those who saw him every tlay, rs
we did, hardly observed it. 1t was queer
He was an unusually intelligent man. He
was bright in the morning, and grew dull,
lttle cloudy, PERHAPS, toward night, and
wasn't much seen after dark, when be had a
way of lingering about the lower barn, where
his COWS and young cattle were kept. He
took entire charge of these had them ali well
broke; overy COW, heifer and steer, down to
the calves, knew its name, and when the stu
bic door was opened they all filed in like q
company of drilled soldiers. He had way
Of opening the door, and getting up Oil to the
"big beanl," IA large square timber known by
that name) where he could see their heads,
and called each by name, and he re-
manned there talking to them long
time, until somebody came and called
him in to supper. If you happened
there any time about dusk, you were sure to
hear him from his perch calling out to them
III his peculiar voice. found him there once
or twice-rve always been sorry dd-stting
up there, doubled over by purline post, his
head cante1 down on one side, wearing the
little old fragment of straw hat-he wore it
all that winter about the barn. was sorry
because it helped out the shape of the appar-
tion later Well, one night-the night he did
not come in-supper was ready, and one of
the smaller girls was sent to call him. TWAS
fifteen rods or SO away, and just growing
twilight. She heard him as she approached
the barn, raped on the outsde-tho usual
signal-and rs he did not answer she opened
the small door and peeped in What she sew
she did not describe Immediately 1t was
darker inside, and grucsome, with all the
cattle munching hay, and their eyes glean,-
Ing in the vanishing light with a dim LAM
bent burning She was frightened and
ran back to the house, told something, and
one of the boys went down, struck Il sharp
blow or two on the door, and called very de-
cidedly. He said he got an answer, went
back, and they eat supper. As he did not
then come, the older ones went out, taking a
lantern. As they approached the door they
heard bis voice as usual, made rap on it and
got an answer they said-waited a moment,
called and received no answer, no reply,
opened the door. went in, and there he
hanged, suspended from the big beam, stone
dead-had been dead some time. Soon after
it came out that the little girl saw something
hanging from his neck
"Well'-a pause.
''No matter about the shock, the ghastly
horror, the funeral and all that said Dan.
u lad to tell so much" said R. las an in
PRODUCTION. don't know who cared for the
lower barn stock the next morning. took
the labor Oh myself the next evening, as
knew Anscomb's ways and his cattle about
Us we'll as he did. As l said-the weather
was about like this, and that night was just
such another, and notwithstanding the horror,
the charm of the days and the oncoming
night had in way been with me through
it NIL. and was on me when went to the
old barn in the soft twilight. The moon was
shining through the openings OF the iiecked
clouds, as now'-laoNin:t Ul,-"and Tor
momcn, forgot the occasion of my going to
the barn-the cattle had gathered patiently
around the stable door, and as opened 1t, as
l live. came AnscomL's voice. calling each by